home is where the heart is
by Hikari1127
Summary: Natsu, the boy who never grew up, and Neverland had only been in her mother's stories before—and yet she was here, and he was there, and home has never seemed so far. —NaLu, AU


**note:** This has got to be, by far, the longest one-shot I've ever written. Took me a long time, too.  
**note2:** OMG, I seriously love Peter Pan. I swear I had a crush on him when I was younger.  
**note3:** For some reason, I use Porla as a villain often.  
**note4:** I would admit that, when I first wrote this, I intended it to be a part of Dating for Dense Dragons, but since I decided to just stop the collection right there, this ended up alone.  
**disclaimer:** Peter Pan AU? _Ha_. Like Mashima-san would do that.  
**summary:** She met the boy who never grew up, and home has never been so distant.

* * *

"I told you a million times already, _I am not my mother_!"

She sighed, exasperated, for the umpteenth time at the pink-haired boy (man?) clad in green floating (yes, _floating_) in front of her, planting her hands on her hips (not that a girl in her nightwear could be very intimidating). All around them, the waters of the place she'd only heard in her mother's childhood stories sparkled mystically, and everything was just so surreal and purely fantasies from her wildest dreams.

"Are you sure?" the boy named Natsu said, face scrunched in confusion. "Because you look exactly like Layla." He circled around her, most likely taking in every detail that she shared with her mother. This made her more annoyed, adding to the fact that she did not understand anything that was happening and that this was far too abnormal to be reality. She wanted to wake up _now_.

"Can you tell me what's happening?!" she shrieked, effectively making the boy wince at the shrillness of her voice.

"Well," he started, landing beside her to flop on the ground, "I'm assuming Porla thought you were Layla, so he took you from your house while you were sleeping and brought you here, probably as bait for me." His shoulders moved up and down in a shrug, as if none of what he just said was that big of a deal to fret about.

That only made her more confused than ever, if not completely out of the loop. This wasn't possible. There was no logical way all this could be happening. Those stories of her mother about a boy who never grew up were getting to her too much.

Wait.

Her mother told her stories about this boy. Was it a mere coincidence that this boy knew her mother, too? "How—how do you know my mother?" she whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Something indescribable flashed in Natsu's dark eyes, and there was a soft, almost fond expression on his face. "I brought her here before, sometime ago," he said (with a hint of sad nostalgia, she noticed) before returning to his cheerful disposition and flashing her a bright grin, "And since you're Layla's daughter, I'm pretty sure you'll like it here, too."

He didn't even wait for her complaint as he pulled her deeper into the heart of this world called Neverland.

* * *

Her foot idly kicked a rock to the side, cheeks puffing out in annoyance (she's been feeling that a lot in this world). Immediately after pulling her into his world (literally, or maybe not quite him and more like that evil captain), he launched into introducing his "Lost Boys" too fast for her to keep up. Her mind was already whirring as it is.

How did she end up doing this long, aimless walk into the forest again? Oh, right. Because Natsu and the "Lost Boys" were too much and too annoying for her to withstand with a confused, bedraggled mind. To her further frustration, no one has even thought of telling her anything or sending her home! They all thought she was the Layla that they lost to the real world a long time ago, and they wanted to catch up with her by doing stupid, immature things. Really, it was only a little more of this before she snapped.

"You look kind of mad there, girlie."

She pulled out of her thoughts, jumping at the sudden voice that invaded her senses. Recognizing whose it was, she turned her head at its origin and glared with all the irritation she could muster. "_You_," she said in a low, angry voice, marching up to the captain in red. "You're the reason I'm stuck here in the first place!"

The pirate did not look fazed at her outburst, managing to keep a cool facade. "No, my dear," he said with a smirk that sent chills down her spine. "It's not me, but more like Natsu."

That shocked her. "What?"

The man started walking around her, and she had to twist her neck to follow his steps. "Natsu wanted to see Layla, so he asked me to bring her here." He stopped right behind her, and she could feel him breathing into her ear. "He's a bad boy, Lucy. A _very_ bad boy."

She swallowed thickly, anxiety rooting her to the grass beneath her feet. "Then what—what should I do?"

In a blink of an eye, the captain was right in front of her, wide grin making her skin prickle with goosebumps. There was a sick feeling at the pits of her stomach just being in close proximity with the man. "Bring Natsu over to me."

Suspicious brown eyes narrowed at the pirate. Something about this deal did not sound good at all. "Why should I trust you?"

His eyes flashed for a brief moment (with something that resembled glee, though a voice inside her told her it was sadistic), teeth gleaming with the too-wide grin. "Because I could send you home, Lucy," he said in a velvety voice. "Natsu and the others haven't even as much as told you how to return home, have they?"

A dull ache in her chest blossomed at the mention of home, along with a frightening resolve to do whatever it took to come back to it.

She looked at the pirate square in the eye.

"What do I have to do?"

* * *

The wind rushed through her hair as she felt herself getting pulled, yellow tresses flying across her face and obstructing her view of the front, but even so, she saw the glaring shade of pink through the strands. Vainly, she tried breaking free of the grasp, but his grip on her wrist was so tight it hurt (deep inside, she accepted that he didn't mean to hurt her—he just didn't know his strength).

"Na—tsu!" she exclaimed, planting her feet firmly to the ground in protest, but, as anticipated, he only pulled harder, being more stubborn than she was (and that was saying something). A frustrated mix of a growl and a groan bubbled from her throat. "Where are we going?!"

The boy's excitement didn't wane in the slightest, undeterred by her obvious disagreement to yet another crazy idea he had planned for her (this time, though, he didn't give her a chance to run away). If ever, it seemed to grow even more. "You're about to learn Neverland's greatest thrill yet."

She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at his reply. "I don't _want_ to, Natsu." Well, that was a bit of a lie. She was slightly (only _slightly_) interested to know what this activity was that got the already boisterous Natsu jumping in his boots.

Natsu turned to look at her, a pout on his face. "Awww, why not, Luce?" he said, a hint of disappointment making its way to his voice. "It's fun!"

"Everything you do is fun," she mumbled to herself, but by the way his body perked up, she knew he heard it (he had some freakishly sharp senses, she observed), "and _dangerous_."

He grinned sheepishly at that. "Well, it's never fun if it isn't dangerous, right?" he said. "And besides, we _never_ grow up, so it's perfectly understandable that we're reckless and wild." At the sentence, there was a bright glint in his dark eyes, and she wondered just how mischievous he really was.

And with that, the red captain's voice echoed in the depths of her mind. _He's a bad boy, Lucy_, it said, almost with a sneer, _Natsu and the others haven't even as much as told you how to return home, have they?_ Her mood darkened, the burrowed doubts once again resurfacing, and she renewed her attempts of breaking free of his grasp, more forceful this time. "But I want to go home!" she exclaimed, making Natsu wince. "Why can't you just tell me how to get home?!"

She thought she saw him falter in his steps, but it disappeared as soon as it had come, making her think she imagined it. He flashed her a bright grin (she thought there was something forced about it, but dismissed it because Natsu was always smiling—he was never sad), both teasing and determined at the same time. "I know what I have to do now," he said, and she feared for Mavis knows what reckless thing he had thought of doing, "I have to suck the boring out of you and _teach_ you how to have some fun."

She gulped at the thought, but the side of her that has been sheltered in a quiet house for so long grew excited at the prospect of letting herself loose for a while.

* * *

"Natsu, I don't think this is a great idea."

Her feet stood as firmly as she could make them on the ground, even though her body was shaking all over from the clawing fear inside her. Below them, the waves of the sea lapped at the rocky side of the cliff, a hundred feet fall from where they were. She vaguely remembered this cliff as the same one he brought her to after he rescued her from Captain Porla, but the vertigo from the height made her head woozy and unable to register _anything_ that's happening.

"Come on, Lucy." The reassuring grin was there again, and she admitted that it made some of her anxiety disappear. His hold on her hands tightened. "Nothing's gonna happen to you, okay? I'll make sure of that."

The seriousness reflected on his face as he said the last part made her nod her head (she didn't know how, but she always felt at ease when she was with him—she felt safe), a slight motion that spoke volumes of trust for him. The hold on her hands became more firm, and she snapped her eyes up to see his looking down at her (there was an electric shock at the eye contact), his lips curving in a smile the gentlest she's seen on him (these were the little moments she seemed to remember, when he was gentle with her, because these times were rare for someone like Natsu).

The next moment, the serene aura dissipated around them, and he was the first one to break their gaze, turning his head abruptly to the palm-sized fairy floating beside them (she blushed at the thought of Natsu's fairy companion seeing their exchange). "Lis, sprinkle some of your fairy dust on us!"

With wide eyes, she looked at the white-haired fairy, who seemed to smile sweetly at her (yet there was something teasing underneath it, she knew, like the fairy knew something she didn't). She flew around them in a flash, white, glitter-like dust going to her shoulders and to her yellow mop of hair. Her eyes lit up with wonder, like how she used to feel when she was younger and listening to her mother's stories. This was Lisanna, the kind fairy who granted people's dream of flying. And she was exactly how her mother described her.

_All you need is faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust._

As she closed her eyes and felt the magic rise in their surroundings, she heard Natsu's voice telling her, "Now, think of your happiest memory." And suddenly, she was at home, the splendor of the mansion the same as she remembered. The roses of their gardens were a bright red hue, standing out among the greenery. Her mother sat across from her, smiling brightly as she told her stories, despite her age. She listened earnestly, and her father stood beside her, an amused and serene expression on his face.

Faster than she could comprehend, the cemented ground of their gardens sank lower and lower, leaving her feet hanging in the air. She thought it was the floor moving, but when she looked around, she saw her mother and father's horrified gaze following her, and she realized that _she_ was floating away. Dread flooded through her like ice-cold water, chilling her veins and making her movements harder. Still, she tried to reach out to her parents, stretching her body in ways it should not be stretched. The only thought in her mind was that this was so much like that night (like when she was captured, brought to this place by a floating ship and away from her home, and the night her home was taken away from her). She _had_ to get down.

She felt success in her struggle when the invisible pull on her disappeared, but the happiness was short-lived when, in a quick moment, she found herself falling to the ground in a dangerously short amount of time. The wind rushed through her so fast she thought it would blow her away (then again, it was no match for gravity). Her eyes squeezed shut because _oh Mavis she was falling down and she was surely going to die and she wouldn't come home again and Natsu would—_

_Natsu_.

At the same time as her realization, a warm hand enclosed on hers tightly and pulled her up, keeping her from falling to her death. The same arms encircled around her waist not too long after in a manner so protective it seemed like the person was afraid to lose her.

"Lucy, can you hear me? Lucy!" Natsu's voice snapped her out of her nightmare, returning her back to Neverland. They were floating above the blue waters, and it was his arms around her waist that held her up. Beside him, Lisanna looked at her with a worried expression. Once they saw her focused and aware of her surroundings, relief was evident on their features as their bodies relaxed. "Luce, are you okay?" he asked, staring at her and studying her face intently.

"What—what happened?" she said softly, the thought of what had happened still not sinking in.

"I don't know!" Natsu answered, a distressed, confused look on his face. "When we were floating, you started crying. Because you were thinking of a sad memory, it stopped your flying. You almost fell down to the waters if I wasn't holding your hands." At the last part, he averted his gaze away from hers, but she had already seen the blatant worry reflected in his eyes.

After a few moments of silence, he faced her again and started wiping her cheeks with the back of his hands. She hadn't even noticed she was crying. "Don't cry, Lucy," he said with the usual energy he possessed (but underneath, there was a certain tenderness he only used for her), "In Neverland, I'll make sure no one ever cries! We only have fun, okay? Fun and never growing up!" Lisanna nodded excitedly beside him.

Despite the situation and the dull ache in her chest, she laughed and nodded.

* * *

That day was a particularly normal one, a day that left the Lost Boys and their leader bored out of their minds. This wasn't an everyday occurrence, she knew, and it was an interesting sight to see the boys lying around and not jumping all over the place. Off to a corner was the green-clad leader, and she almost laughed at the thought that he might have been losing his mind to madness from extreme boredom, because he just sat there on a rock seeming deep in thought (and Natsu was _never_ deep in thought).

She saw him nod a couple more times, mumbling something along the lines of 'That's a great idea' before bursting from his seat, a wide grin on his face that she knew didn't promise anything sane. "I know! Let's go on a treasure hunt!"

All at once (faster than she could comprehend), the Lost Boys jumped and shouted in agreement, smiling ear-to-ear at each other in unsuppressed excitement. Eager chatters and fast-exclaimed sentences filled the inside of the cave, echoing and bouncing off the walls. The cave grew noisier and noisier by the minute.

As she was about to close her eyes to relax (over the course of her stay, she'd developed the ability to tune out any of the bubbly, squeaky voices of the Lost Boys—a natural defense against growing deaf), another voice, warm and low, stood out from the buzz of the young boys' talk, and her eyes snapped open, back going straight immediately (she didn't know why that was the initial reaction of her body to this person, especially if it should be the _exact opposite_ of that). "Hey, Lucy!" came the exuberant greeting, "Wanna come treasure hunting with us?"

The bright grin on his face nearly disarmed her of any disagreements she had. _Nearly_. "Gee, I don't know," she said with a hint of sarcasm, rolling her eyes. "_Is it going to be dangerous_?"

"Psh, what are talking about, Luce?" He mimicked her annoyed eye-rolling gesture, lips slightly pulled down in a scowl at her response. His face scrunched again, but in finding his face unaccustomed to the expression, he turned it back into the usual grin. "_Everything_ I do is dangerous."

She leveled him a deadpan stare. "I swear you're planning to kill me here just so I can't get back home." She didn't mean it in all seriousness, really, but she wouldn't let him know that. She felt like he could see right through her already, and it wouldn't help to let him know about that _very small twinge_ of _maybeIdon'twanttogo_.

It wasn't in her expectations, though, that the boy would flinch away at her question, leading to poorly-concealed confusion to fill her face. He looked away stiffly, and it was only then did she notice that the subject of her home was uncomfortable for both of them. "Natsu, I was kidding," she said, feeling incredulous that he took it seriously.

"Of course I knew that!" he replied, a little too fast and a bit too pitchy to be normal. She pretended not to notice his peculiar change of behavior. "Now let's go! We're wasting daylight!"

She smiled at him, teasing. "Why does that remind me of a pirate?"

"Because we _are_ looking for treasure, weirdo." He retorted with some teasing of his own, a slightly lopsided grin on his face. "Of course we're pirates."

"Wow, there's actually one thing you and Porla have in common," she said, eyes mischievous. She just _knew_ that would irk him to no end, and she hid a smile behind her hand.

"... OKAY WE'RE NOT PIRATES ANYMORE."

* * *

"This isn't like you, Natsu."

She knew her teasing tone reached the boy when he turned his head back and gave her a two-finger salute, inviting him to his side by patting the space beside him. They were on the rocky cliff—it always seemed to be the same one—Natsu sitting at the edge with the moon bathing parts of his face with a soft glow, and her, seeming to be drawn at his ever so warm yet serene expression. Back at the camp, the Lost Boys were celebrating their new member (her), an honorary (the only) Lost Girl who found their treasure.

After a moment of tranquility, he turned his head to give her a grin. "What, being out here alone and not having fun?" It took her a while to connect it to the question she asked him earlier.

"No, thinking," she replied nonchalantly, laughing when the look on his face ranged from resembling a kicked puppy to a glare in a span of seconds.

"That was _mean_, Luce," he said, pouting, but after that, his gaze turned thoughtful, so uncharacteristically him that she pulled back a bit.

"Is—is something on my face?" she asked, suddenly aware of her rising temperature.

He shook his head briefly. "No," he said, voice soft, "It's just that...you're so different from Layla."

The air grew more silent. They have touched the taboo topic once again. "What did you think of my mother?" she asked, quiet, almost like a whisper in fear that it would break the quietness of the air.

Natsu's gaze went skyward, pensive. "I cared for her," he said, becoming a bit uncertain, "Maybe I even...cared for her more than normal—" Realizing what he said, he caught himself. "—but I'll never know...because she had to go home." The tone was morose and sad and thick with regret that she wondered if this was another side of him. Her thoughts were ready to swallow her when she heard him mumble under his breath. "And so do you."

Her eyes widened against her will, mixed feelings rising to her throat. The simple statement sounded so melancholic and disappointed and filled with unfulfilled hopes to her ears that she thought the feelings were tangible enough for her to touch. She could feel the burning at the back of her eyes intensify and she couldn't understand the sudden surge of emotions that came over her in a flash. _Maybe I felt the same way he did_, she thought, _Maybe I've fallen in love with him_. And seeing Natsu bare these feelings to her, letting her peek into a side of him he had never shown others, let her realize that.

But before she could get the words out—before she could finally stop lying to herself—the boy reverted back to his cheerful behavior, grinning as if nothing has happened. "Hey, Lucy! Wanna try flying again?" he said, enthusiasm seeping through his tone.

At the memory of her last flying experience, she found herself pulling back. "I-I don't know, Natsu," she said uncertainly, "Something might happen again—"

"I won't let that happen," the boy cut in, seriousness marking his face. "Have I ever let you down, Luce?" Knowing he hasn't, she chose to stay silent, looking away from his knowing eyes. "Come on, _trust_ me, Lucy." There was something in his pleading tone that made her turn her gaze back to him again. When she found herself looking directly into his eyes, the feeling of security came over her, washing all her fears away (and it was like last time all over again). Deep inside, she really believed he would catch her if she fell.

When she nodded, saying she did trust him, he threw sprinkles of pixie dust into the air, the shining particles raining down on them like soft snow. Except instead of the cold, she felt warmth. Magic, and welcomed warmth.

Pixie dust bringing more light to his eyes, he steadied her hands with his like he always seemed to do. "Think about your time here," he said, his illuminated eyes having a certain effect on her. "Think about me."

And she did, closing her eyes. She kept the memories of home at the back of her mind (because home only made her miss it and long for it), and let all thoughts of Natsu be brought to the surface. There wasn't much from her short stay in Neverland, but they were enough to bring the honey-sweet feeling of mild elation. They were enough to make her fly.

Her feet lost the rough, gravelly texture of the ground, and they bore goosebumps at the sudden chill that breezed by her bare skin. She peeked an eye open, and found herself directly above the waters she was just previously gazing down at (from the cliff, she told herself, from _solid ground_). Her grip on Natsu's hands tightened, which prompted a laugh from him. "You're fine, Luce," he said, barely concealed amusement dancing in his eyes. "See?"

He let go of both her hands, and she instinctively grabbed them back, holding onto them with a betrayed glare on her face. "I thought you said you wouldn't let anything happen to me!"

His shoulders shrugged. "Nothing happened." He circled around her, which, he had to release his hands from her grip to do so. Which made her shriek and struggle to grab onto anything but air.

"You—you idiot!" She hungrily reached for his hand when he offered it, almost teasing. "What if I fell?!"

He stared at her evenly, as if _she_ was the idiot. "I would've caught you anyway."

(Well, she couldn't argue with that one.)

Pouting, she was very surprised when Natsu pointed out, "See? You're even okay enough to scowl at me." Her eyes peered at her feet, which didn't seem like they would fall at any moment. "You're not falling down."

Her cheeks colored with embarrassment at the realization. She could only manage to mumble a weak "Shut up" at him. Despite this, she still (halfheartedly) accepted the hand he held out for her, a bit of questioning reflected on her face. Instead of giving an answer to her silent question, he hid a breaking smile (like _that_ worked) and pulled her forward without another thought.

_So that's why he grabbed my hand_, she thought dryly, _To pull my arm and dislocate my shoulder_. She emerged from her thoughts when she felt the steady blowing of the atmosphere on her face. "If you're trying to rip my arm off, you have to pull harder," she said, eyes set in a glare, but the smile breaking out of her face said otherwise.

"Ha-ha, very funny," he said, rolling his eyes, but weakened his hold on her nonetheless, his big (_warm_) hand just circling around her wrist loosely. "Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly after, "I was just so excited!"

She raised her eyebrow, teeth showing in a grin she couldn't stop. "To have cloud on your face?"

He chuckled, eyes lighting up with mirth. "No," he said, and she briefly took note of how his grip on her tightened, "To do this!" And before she had the time to process it, he had already hurled her through the air and she was already screaming, feeling the _whoosh_ of the wind as she cut through it. Above the noise of the gust rushing past her ears, she could hear Natsu's jovial, seemingly delighted (and freaking creepy, considering her suffering) shout of "Luce, spread your arms out like a bird!"

She would have shouted a rage-filled scream of "Have you lost your _mind_?!" had she not decided to try it first (after all, she had nothing left to lose, and she would rather die taking Natsu's advice—wait, on second thought, that didn't seem like a bright idea after all). With the force of the wind and the fear of falling _forcing_ her, she spread her arms out, one at a time, and felt the previously violent breeze grow gentler, her hair now flowing behind her instead of whipping across her face. When she opened her eyes, a thrill came over her and she felt like laughing because _she really was flying and it was impossible but she was_. She shifted her weight to the left and glided back to Natsu, who had a grin on his face, as if telling her, even without words, that he was _right_.

For a little revenge on her part, she grabbed his foot and dragged him through the air. A laugh bubbled from her throat when the boy's face matched the green of his clothes, cheeks puffed out. "O-okay, Luce," he choked out, almost with too much effort. "Stop p-pulling me like a—" he seemed to turn greener, "—form of transportation—"

She never thought he could get any weirder. "You can handle flying at 50 miles per hour but not _this_?" An evil smirk crept up to her visage, an equally evil thought behind it. With all the force in her upper arms, she spun him around by the ankle—laughing more when his face turned considerably into an unhealthy shade of green—going a few turns before deciding to release him. When she did, though, she didn't expect Natsu holding onto her wrist and pulling her with him. She squealed at the sudden jerk, surprised.

In a few moments, they just spun there, getting dizzier and dizzier in their own circle. The motion slowed down, yet they still stayed there, revolving in an axis only for them, and she couldn't help but get drawn to his eyes, ever so bright with innocence and fun and _happiness_. There was a breeze, its quiet hum the only sound in her ears. All the greenness had left his face, and it now had a certain gentleness he only showed to her (she knew, she _knew_ that it was only for her and no one else).

But, sadly, everything had its end, and when the effects of the dust began to wear off, they made their descent back to solid ground.

But even in that short time of flying, it was only then that she truly felt alive.

She turned to him, exhilaration widely present on her face, and was about to rave about her new experience to the boy beside her ("Natsu, I finally did it! I finally flew! It was so fun, and it was all thanks to you—"), but the equally happy face she imagined he would have wasn't there. He wasn't grinning. He wasn't smiling. His eyes were dull. He looked _sad_. "Hey, Natsu—"

He looked away sharply, and she briefly recognized his feeling as guilt. "I'm sorry," he said, almost inaudibly. She opened her mouth to ask why he was saying that (because nothing came to mind—there wasn't anything he had to apologize for), but he continued. "I was selfish."

More confusion appeared on her face, but a bad feeling settled down in her stomach. Like he was hiding something. Like there was something she would hate him for. "We—I wanted to keep you here, what we weren't able to do with Layla." Her eyes widened, understanding dawning on her features. "I figured that if I made you happy enough, you would like to stay." He sighed, eyes remaining downcast in shame. "But this place is not your home. And I could never make you stay—so, I'll escort you first thing tomorrow, okay?"

Her mind drew blanks, caving in on itself, confused, betrayed. "... What are you saying?" This was a joke. This was one of his pranks. Natsu was childish and—and immature but he would _never_ lie to her. Or—or keep things from her.

(But he did, he already had, he was _lying_—)

He must've heard the hurt in her tone because he flinched a little, drawing back. If he could, he could've buried himself and hid away from her piercing stare. "Flying's the only way out of here," he said, slow and careful, "I didn't plan on telling you that."

That was what set her off. "You bastard!" Her tightly-balled fists pounded at his chest, any part of him that would _hurt_. "Why would you do that to me?!" she screamed, hysterical, broken. Unbidden, tears gathered in her eyes and blurred her vision of Natsu—_of this selfish, __**lying**__ boy that she loved_—and she turned away from him before he could see them fall, muttering a soft, _bitter_ "You're just like Porla" before running deeper into the thick forest.

* * *

Her body had grown stiff from hours of being crumpled against a tree, knees drawn up to her chest and head tucked in between her legs. Tears had long since streamed down her cheeks, and the tracks had already dried up, leaving her eyes red and puffy. This was pathetic, she thought, being reduced to a sobbing mess over something so small.

(But this wasn't small, because the boy she loved dearly just hid her only ticket home from her.)

Home.

She smiled dryly. Why was she even trying so hard to go back to it? Her empty, empty home. The happiest memory she had of it was simply just that. A memory. Buried deep within the corners of her mind, slowly fading away with time. When she flew that first try, when Natsu had asked her to summon her happiest memory to mind, it was also a sad memory because it couldn't happen anymore. Her parents had drifted away from her, towards somewhere she couldn't reach them, no matter how hard she tried to hold onto every part of them. It was no different even in a memory supposed to be happy.

Being in Neverland brought new life inside her, she knew that. Having some people care for her again was something she had always longed for. Bantering and having fun with Natsu gave her—gave her _happiness_. Neverland—

This place has become her home.

That home back in the real world, it provided her some normalcy, some stability. This world has thrown her off her axis. It was surreal and fantastical and mystical and—and it wasn't her reality. It was her dream. She wanted to come back home so badly in fear of one day waking up and finding out that this place was all a dream. That Natsu was just her escape from reality, played on her by her sick, twisted mind. It would be too painful for her. She was broken enough on her own.

The anger burning wildly in her system had ebbed away into a cold numbness, like it hadn't ever coursed through her at all. The thought came to her that maybe she wasn't mad at Natsu because she couldn't get back home, but more because of the fact that he _hid_ something from her. That he didn't trust her enough to decide for herself whether to stay or not.

But Natsu was Natsu, and she couldn't hold his actions against him. Because she would've _stayed_. She would eventually decide to, she knew.

However, there were already too many mistakes made, both him and her. She had tried too hard to come back to an empty home, and he had tried too hard to make her stay.

There was no going back.

She took something from her pocket, keeping it clenched inside her closed fist. It was small yet hard, and she was sure it left marks on her fingers from how hard she was grasping it. Standing up, she felt her fingers open up, revealing the whistle inside them. It was the same whistle Porla gave her, to be used when the time came that she finally decided to betray Natsu, like how he was said to be betraying her.

Determined, she blew on it, the sound loud and shrill throughout the forest.

Still, she couldn't help but think, she understood his actions—and had forgiven him for them—and she just couldn't bring herself to even _remotely_ cause him harm. Because she loved him.

The whistle was blown miles and miles away from the Lost Boys' camp, somewhere far away that they would never be found by people who would hurt them.

It was only a matter of time before Porla appeared from the bushes, and when he saw her and no one else, the burning rage took over his features, and she knew she made the right choice.

* * *

She swallowed thickly, her eyes drawn to the water below her feet.

This was just like the cliff. Like the time they tried flying.

But there's no Natsu. The ground she was standing on shook with every shift of her movement, and it would be nothing but falling.

From behind her, Porla pointed his sword at her, shaking with a mix of anger and twisted excitement, watching her with hawk-like intensity for fear of her somehow slipping away from this (like she can). His band of pirates circled around the other end of the plank, anticipation clear in their bearded, eyepatched faces.

She never thought she would go like this, walking off the plank and being fed to the sharks.

Unbidden, her thoughts drifted to Natsu. Would he be looking for her, the intention of apologizing clear in his features, or would he just leave her be, thinking she ran away and never wanted to see him again?

(Oh, but she did, so badly. He was the one she wanted to see the most right at that moment.)

"Any last words, girlie?" Porla sneered at her, jabbing the sword on her back lightly, threateningly.

Turning so that she faced him, she gave him a smile just to spite him. If she was going down, she would go down fighting with every fiber of her being. "You will never defeat Natsu," she said, meaning every word. "He will _always_ beat you, even if you kill me here."

The reaction was instantaneous. Porla charged forward, screaming angrily that she was _wrong_, that there was _no way_ a child like Natsu would best him, that her death would very well affect him—tear him apart and rip his heart in pieces—and that he would be there to watch him _suffer_.

With the pirate and his sword inching closer, she closed her eyes and let herself fall backwards, down into the deep blue waters.

_Natsu wouldn't cry if I died—_

It wasn't long before she fell into someone's protective arms.

—_because I won't._

Natsu stared at her with a mix of worry and crazed thrill, lips parted in an open-mouthed smile. "Why did you jump?"

She sank into his embrace, all the panic dissipating with the security that flooded with his presence. "Because you said you wouldn't let anything happen to me."

Natsu's smile widened, but it turned into a mischievous twist (and, suddenly, she wanted to run away somehow—because whenever Natsu had that kind of look on his face, it only meant insanity). "Now, think of your happiest memory."

Wait. "What?"

"Lis, take it from here!"

Suddenly realizing what he intended her to do, she barely managed to flash images of Natsu in her head before he let go of her, the wind cold as it blew under her skirt. "Natsuuuu!"

The fall stopped when the water was just a hairsbreadth below her feet, and she exchanged a look with the white-haired fairy, immensely grateful. Lisanna nodded with a smile, but it turned worried, and apprehensively, she pointed to the sail of the ship.

Understanding her unspoken concern, she nodded her head with a new resolve.

_Let's go help Natsu_.

* * *

Natsu brandished his short dagger, pointing it at the captain with a half-smirk that barely disguised his disdain. Below them, the band of pirates tried to fight off the Lost Boys, and screams of frustration and swords hitting wood were all that was heard. "Lesson #1, Porla." He hovered closer, almost like he was looming over his enemy. "Don't go taking what's mine."

However, the pirate looked undeterred by his warning, if not taking immense satisfaction from it. "Oh, but she was never yours to begin with, was she?" Natsu felt himself falter, and Porla took this moment of weakness to swing at him, grinning when he barely moved out of the way of the point. "She belongs to the real world."

Not willing to be defeated, the boy ignited the determination within himself and matched Porla's attacks, holding back all his worries for later. But the captain wasn't finished. "She wanted to go back home," he taunted, eyebrows dipping down in feigned sympathy. "She would leave you, sooner than you think, and she would grow up."

Porla was completely on par with him now, fighting him shoulder to shoulder with his sword, and he was rapidly losing his focus. His grip on the dagger kept loosening and he clenched his fingers tight in an attempt to _keep it in his hands_, but the weapon shivered and quaked and he realized that it was _him_ and he fell back.

He flew away, wanting to put as much distance between him and the captain, but Porla's chilling voice still followed him wherever he went. "You would be nothing but a memory to her," he squeezed his eyes shut, trying in vain to block out the sentences with his hands, but they just kept getting trapped in his head, echoing, "a mere bedtime story that she told to her husband and children."

Before he knew it, Porla was already behind him, sneering, grinning. "That already happened with Layla, hadn't it?" And he was suddenly kicked in the back, sent flying towards a wooden pole, and it hit him hard that it knocked the breath out of him, rolled his eyes to the back of his head from the force. He was _falling_ and he was trying to keep himself conscious and aware but Porla was just right there with his curled smirk, watching him vainly claw on the wood to stop his rapid descent. Lucy's scream was a faraway sound in his ears, the one voice seeming to stand out from the white noise. It was at that moment, as he thought of things he couldn't bear to lose, that he realized death scared him just as much as it did to everyone else.

Barely inches off the hard, wooden surface of the deck, his fall came to an abrupt stop, and he almost sighed in relief had it not been Porla piercing his sword through his sleeve and the wooden pole that stopped him (how could he have acquired the ability to fly?), most likely saving him out of spite or amusement (because Porla has always liked seeing him suffering and desperate).

Lucy's anguished shouts continued to enter his ears. She seemed in pain, screaming his name.

Even with the difficulty of keeping his eyes open, he mustered the strength to look down at her, seeing her struggling against the burly pirates that held her arms tight and _staring back at him_ with _worry_ and _anxiety_ clear in her big, brown eyes. He let a wry smile curve his lips as he memorized all the features of her that he can, knowing it would be the last, one way or another.

Another sword pressed against his throat, Porla's eyes gleamed with twisted excitement. "Any last words, Natsu?"

Porla's question seemed to escape him altogether as he could only notice Lucy, her and her golden mop of hair and her eyes and her lips and her barely-held-back tears shimmering in the light and—and _Mavis_, how he'd just wanted to hold her one last time even if it was during the very last breath he takes and—

No.

No, this was all wrong.

Natsu was the leader of the Lost Boys.

He never grew up.

He _never_ gave up.

It was Neverland, and that was all the never's he was.

Captain Porla will _never_ beat him. Especially not in front of Lucy.

As the pirates chanted and cheered below him, and their leader grinned at him predatorily, he squirmed his body (as if to boost the captain's confidence a little before what he was about to do), but really, he just wanted an excuse to push his shoe off his foot a little unsuspiciously. When Porla started to laugh, he pulled his foot back as far as he can and kicked his shoe upward, the green footwear hitting his enemy straight in the forehead. As soon as the sword was off his neck, he wrestled for the other one, pinching a spot on Porla's forearm that made him release the weapon. Still trying to recover from the hit, the captain could do absolutely nothing to block his swings, and it was now him being driven to a pole. The tables had turned to his favor so easily in a short amount of time that a laugh bubbled from within him, loud and triumphant.

Porla's back soon hit the pole, and Natsu pointed the sword at his throat, warranting no means of escape. Just for the fun of it (_theatrics_), he took the feathered hat off the pirate's head and put it on his, grinning as he said in his best imitation of the captain's voice, "Any last words, Porla?"

If looks could kill, he would've died from the murderous glare Porla gave him. "You think you've won, don't you?" the captain spat, venom coating every word.

His grin widened, became a bit more feral. "Uh, yeah." Lucy and the others had triumphed against their enemies, too, and Lucy was safe, so _of course_ it was a victory for him.

Porla matched his grin, looking grotesque and nightmarish on his face (he would be lying if he said it still didn't chill him to the bone—how malicious and _evil_ each expression that graced Porla's face was). "You might've won against me," he said, bitter with defeat, "but you're losing the most important person in your life."

He swallowed, dropping his gaze to Lucy, who was smiling and relieved and more radiant than she had been moments ago. He felt feelings lodge themselves in his throat, suffocate him, and it felt worse than having Porla's sword at his neck with death hanging in front of him.

"You realize it, too, don't you?" Porla's smirk was seeping to his tone. "I wasn't lying when I said those things about your _dear_ Lucy."

_She really will leave me_.

Unable to stop himself anymore, he dropped the sword from Porla's neck and shot him one last dirty look. "I'll be back for you, count on it."

Before he completely turned his back on him, he saw the captain's face being overcome with a smirk and heard him say, in that low, velvety voice of his, "I know you will, Natsu." He could imagine those eyes boring holes through the back of his head. "And I'll be waiting."

Being in close proximity with Porla has never been this nauseating, he thought (and maybe that was because the captain knew his weaknesses, and he was right), and in wanting to be off the ship as soon as possible, he quickly scooped Lucy in his arms and left, barely being able to shout over his shoulder to the Lost Boys about just going home by themselves and not waiting for him.

Lucy was shooting him a flushed, confused look, and it wasn't helping in making his heart any less heavier.

His grip on her tightened, knowing fully well that it would be the only chance he would have.

* * *

As soon as Natsu had set her down on the cliff, she knew something was wrong.

The wind seemed to shift, the atmosphere no longer carrying a sense of victory. All that remained were morose thoughts of the future, hanging over them like a foreboding storm.

She hesitantly called out his name, but the sound came out nothing more than a whisper. "Natsu?"

It wasn't after a few moments had passed that Natsu turned to look at her, a painfully rueful smile on his face. "It's okay, Lucy," he said, eyes glimmering in the light. "I'm taking you home." He held out his hand, but a tear escaped and flowed down his cheek that he pulled it back and wiped the tear away furiously, but more came, and suddenly Natsu's hands were too small to wipe them all away. "_Damn it_, why am I crying?"

Feeling something break inside her, she walked towards him and took his hands from his face, Natsu's teary black eyes staring at her with so much raw emotions that she felt her own emotions making their way out her throat. "Natsu—"

"I'm fine, Luce," he said, though his voice said otherwise. He looked away and off to a faraway place beneath the clouds—and she realized it was her home he was looking at. "I—I know you belong there." His lips pursed as he suppressed a sob. "I just have to accept it."

She shook her head. "No, you don't, Natsu."

Natsu's gaze returned to her. "Yes, I _do_." He looked like he was almost pleading. Desperate. "I can't keep holding you back from growing up because...because it's what you're supposed to do." He faltered, close to crumbling. "Layla knew it. I should've already known, too."

"Why do you choose this time to be mature?" She laughed through the tears now streaming down her face.

But Natsu didn't say anything. His arms went around her in a tight embrace, and she could feel his _need_ and his _want_ seeping through. She wondered if her mama ever felt this, or if it was just her—because she truly did love Natsu, and that was their difference.

"Hey, Lucy, I think I love you."

She stiffened in his hug, shocked still. "What did you say?" she asked, fearing she heard wrong.

"I said I'll take you home," Natsu said hastily, but she had already heard the words. The blush on his face was proof enough.

"I love you, too," she said, and it felt like a weight off her chest.

The boy seemed like he wanted to protest, but it disappeared when he absorbed her words. A grin broke on his face and his embrace tightened around her. "It's gonna be harder for me to let you go now," he murmured in her hair.

She burrowed her face in his chest. "Then don't."

"What?"

Her eyes met his with a defiant stare. "Do you want me to stay?"

He seemed taken aback, raising his eyebrows. "Well, yes, but—"

"If you want me to stay," she cut him off, taking his face in both of her hands, "then there are no buts."

A mix of understanding and resolve reflected in Natsu's eyes, and he swept her in his arms, earning a surprised squeal from her. The mischief returned with the grin on his face, and he was once again the boy who her mother used to tell her about, who showed her around this world, who saved her from Porla more than once and who—

—who loved her and made her fall in love with him.

"I'll just have to take you away then." Natsu's voice was low and nowhere near childish. Heat crept to her face. "You better not resist, Princess."

How the _hell_ did he get so smooth?

"But, really," his smile turned soft, "this is your home now, and I—I couldn't be happier."

As she returned the smile, she thought to herself that this really was her home. This was where she belonged.

Natsu was her home now.

* * *

**note:** I seriously suck at endings.  
**note2:** Peter Pan was like one of the most tragic love stories of my childhood. For a change, I wanted a happy ending.  
**note3:** Review?


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